Method and regulating system for applying defined actuating forces

Abstract

The present invention relates to a process and a control system for generating defined actuating forces in a brake which is electrically operable by way of an actuator, wherein there is a first static relation between the brake's actuating travel and the actuating force. The process and the control system permit determining the actuating forces which develop during operation without additional sensors. To achieve this object, according to the present invention, a second relation which corresponds to the operation of the brake is determined from the first relation and an information which represents the variations of the first relation.

What is claimed is:  
     
       1. Process of generating defined actuating forces by which brake pads are pressed against a brake disc, in a brake which is electrically operable by way of an actuator, wherein there is a first static relation between the brake's actuating travel, and the actuating force of the brake generated by the actuator, and the first static relation is depicted by a mathematical model, comprising the step of: 
       deriving a second relation which corresponds to the operation of the brake, wherein said second relation is determined from the first relation and information which represents variations of the first relation determining the information representing the variations of the first relation by evaluating signals which occur during operation of the brake further including the signals which occur during operation of the brake to represent the position of the actuator and the current value to be sent to the actuator.  
     
     
       2. Process as claimed in claim  1 , further including defining the information which represents the variations of the first relation is a characteristic curve which illustrates extension or compression. 
     
     
       3. Process as claimed in claim  1 , further including determining the speed or the acceleration of the actuator. 
     
     
       4. Process as claimed in claim  1 , defining the information which represents the variations of the first relation as a displacement travel (X V ) of a shifted static characteristic curve which represents the first relation. 
     
     
       5. Process as claimed in claim  4 , wherein the second relation is determined according to the formula 
       
         
           F Bet   =f (X Bet )=λ· f   Basis  (X Bet −X V )  
         
       
       wherein 
       f Basis  is the first relation,  
       λ is an extension or compression factor,  
       X Bet  is the actuating travel of the brake, and  
       X V  is the displacement travel.  
     
     
       6. Process as claimed in claim  1 , using the speed or the acceleration of the actuator to determine the portion of the current being supplied to the actuator, wherein said portion corresponding to the actuating force. 
     
     
       7. Process as claimed in claim  6 , checking the established values of the extension or compression factor and of the displacement travel for plausibility before they are employed. 
     
     
       8. Process as claimed in claim  6 , further including monitoring the parameter estimation process by using the signal representative of the speed of the actuator. 
     
     
       9. Control system for generating defined actuating forces by which brake pads are pressed against a brake disc, in a brake which is electrically operable by way of an actuator, wherein there is a first static relation between the brake's actuating travel, which has to be covered for application of the brake pads against the brake disc, and the actuating force of the brake generated by the actuator, and the first static relation is depicted by a mathematical model, comprising: 
       a) a position controller to which the control difference between a nominal actuator position and signals representative of the actual actuator position is sent as an input signal, and connected downstream of which controller is an electronic servo booster having an output signal which actuates the actuator,  
       b) a characteristic curve adaption and adaption monitoring module, to which the output signal of the servo booster and the signal representative of the actual actuator position are sent as input quantities, and which furnishes an information about variations of the first relation which occur during operation of the brake,  
       c) a performance graph module for receiving said information and calculating actuating travel nominal values from actuating force nominal values in consideration of the variation information, and connected downstream of which module is a conversion module which calculates signals representative of the nominal actuator position from the actuating travel nominal values.  
     
     
       10. Control system as claimed in  9 , wherein the conversion module represents a mathematical model of a gear that acts between the actuator and the brake. 
     
     
       11. Control system for generating defined actuating forces in a brake which is electrically operable by way of an actuator, wherein there is a first static relation between the brake's actuating travel and the actuating force, comprising: 
       a) a deceleration controller to which the control difference between signals representative of an actuating force nominal value and an actuating force actual value is sent as an input signal, and connected downstream of which controller is an electronic servo booster having an output signal which actuates the actuator,  
       b) a characteristic curve adaption and adaption monitoring module to which the output signal of the servo booster and the signal representative of the actual actuator position are sent as input quantities, and which furnishes an information about variations of the first relation which occur during operation of the brake, on the one hand, and a signal representative of the actuating travel actual value, on the other hand, which  
       c) are sent to a performance graph module which calculates actuating force actual values from actuating travel actual values in consideration of the variation information.  
     
     
       12. Control system as claimed in claim  11 , wherein the information about variations of the first relation, which occur during operation of the brake, are sent to the deceleration controller to update said's parameters. 
     
     
       13. Control system as claimed in claim  11 , wherein the brake is installed in an automotive vehicle, and wherein an information representative of the rotational speed of the automotive vehicle wheel is sent to the characteristic curve adaption and adaption monitoring module. 
     
     
       14. Process of generating defined actuating forces by which brake pads are pressed against a brake disc, in a brake which is electrically operable by way of an actuator, wherein there is a first static relation between the brake's actuating travel, and the actuating force of the brake generated by the actuator, and the first static relation is depicted by a mathematical model, comprising the step of: 
       deriving a second relation which corresponds to the operation of the brake, wherein said second relation is determined from the first relation and information which represents variations of the first relation  
       defining the information which represents the variations of the first relation as a displacement travel (X V ) of a shifted static characteristic curve which represents the first relation.  
     
     
       15. Process of generating defined actuating forces by which brake pads are pressed against a brake disc, in a brake which is electrically operable by way of an actuator, wherein there is a first static relation between the brake's actuating travel, and the actuating force of the brake generated by the actuator, and the first static relation is depicted by a mathematical model, comprising the step of: 
       deriving a second relation which corresponds to the operation of the brake, wherein said second relation is determined from the first relation and information which represents variations of the first relation  
       defining the information which represents the variations of the first relation is a characteristic curve which illustrates extension or compression.